


Teenage Rockstar Splendors

by adarna



Series: Pre-Squip Rich [2]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M, Sexual Harassment, Stagedorks, but kinda, dustin's a fuckboi, expensive headphones, i aint your god, i cant remember what the other ship names are damn, jakes ass wont quit, madeline and chrissy are bffs, not explicit tho, not really - Freeform, or you can skip it if you want, rich's first experience with his squip, richjake, sequel to just a blip, you gotta read just a blip first otherwise this aint gonna make sense to you
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-24
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-07-16 11:13:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16084982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adarna/pseuds/adarna
Summary: Nobody cares if you are late'Cause even teachers think you're greatYour weekend's just a full-on slate of blowout bendersOf teenage rockstar splendorsDick Goranski has finally decided to take the pill that will supposedly turn him into a better person. Who would have thought that would mean having a voice in his head that will constantly tell him what he should and shouldn't do? With a new name and a new look,Rich Goranskinow finds himself as the main attraction on the school social map.Thank God for drugs, right?--sequel to just a blip on the school social map





	1. PROLOGUE

# PROLOGUE

**_Fr: Michael Mell_ _  
_ _To: Richard Goranski_ **

_ Hey! _

_ Sorry for popping up out of nowhere like this but I just wanna check up on you. You never really responded to my messages so I decided to email you like a middle-aged community college professor who doesn’t have any plans for the weekend aside from sending students emails while simultaneously sobbing over why my wife left me. Did you change your number? I understand if you don’t want to tell me your number though. I’m not like guilt-tripping you into giving it to me anyway lol  _

_ I dunno if you know but I’m in the Philippines again. Summer really sucks here. It’s too freaking hot! I can’t believe I have to give up my hoodie for this.  _

_ You’re probably still mad at me so I just wanna say I’m sorry again. I freaked you out and I understand. That was really bad on my part. I wanted to pay you a visit before we left for the airport but I don’t think you were home. Or at least that’s what your dad told me. I still don’t think he likes me haha but that’s just probably his face ;) _

_ Wow just remembering those things I said to you is really giving me a bad case of cringe attacks. Shoot, even the term ‘cringe attacks’ is cringe itself LMAO  _

_ Anyway, I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching here. I learned a lot of things about myself that really surprised me. I hope things are going just as well for you.  _

_ I’m not forcing you to respond to me btw haha I just wanna let you know that if you ever need a friend, I’m still  _ **_hear_ ** _ to lend an  _ **_ear_ ** _ hehe _

_ Hope you’re having a good summer _

* * *

**_Fr: Michael Mell_ _  
_ _To: Richard Goranski_ **

_ So this is weird. I kissed a girl today.  _

_ I KNOW RIGHT?? _

_ Remember when I said I’ve been learning a lot of things about myself lately? That kiss is one of them. She’s a childhood friend of mine and I haven’t seen her for years until last night. I told her she looked really pretty and she said I turned out hotter than she expected. Heh can you believe that? Me? Hot? Wowzers. _

_ She probably thinks nothing of it though and I know she wants me to do the same, but that’s easier said than done. _

_ What does this make me though? I have never liked a single girl in my life. Do I even like her in that sense? I enjoyed the kiss, so does that make me bisexual? Or am I homoromantic bisexual? Or maybe just bicurious? These fucking labels are giving me a headache. I can kinda imagine you telling me that I’m overthinking this and that I shouldn’t get my hopes up. _

_ And because I’m imagining you telling me that, then that’s exactly what I’m going to do. _

_ Btw, I bought you lots of dried mangoes. I’ll send them to you when we get back.  _

_ Or if you want me to show my face, then that’s fine too lol but again, I’m not guilt-tripping you into forgiving me or anything. If you want me to stop contacting you, just let me know. It can even be a single word. Just send me “NO” and I’ll stop. _

_ Hope you’re doing great! _

* * *

**_Fr: Michael Mell_ _  
_ _To: Richard Goranski_ **

_ You still haven’t told me to quit sending you emails so I take it that’s a good sign? I’m hoping it is.  _

_ So this girl I told you about? She invited me over to her place tonight and told me that her parents won’t be home. I want to say she’s hinting at something but I also hope she’s not. Should I go? I can kinda imagine you telling me ‘whatever floats your boat, man. I don’t care’ because that’s so classic you. _

_ I’m gonna go to her place tonight. I really hope she just wants to play Tekken.  _

* * *

**_Fr: Michael Mell_ _  
_ _To: Richard Goranski_ **

_ Gross. Dad just gave me ‘the talk’ this morning and it was the most uncomfortable conversation ever. I kid you not, he literally used a big af cucumber just to show me how to use a condom properly. I have never been so mortified. Do all teens go through this?  _

_ Because I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. _

* * *

**_Fr: Michael Mell_ _  
_ _To: Richard Goranski_ **

_ Hey, do you have Facebook?  _

_ I dunno if that’s you but I think it is? I saw Brooke friend you. Man, I remember you telling me Facebook is nothing but a platform for people who like to lose themselves to the idea of being celebrities by broadcasting every single thing they do as if other people care. _

_ It’s good to see you trying new things though! This is the best way to make more friends at school after all. It’s the easiest way, at least. You can talk to them without having to worry about stuttering or sweating like a snitch haha _

_ And you’ve finally figured out a new nickname for yourself lol Should I start calling you Rich too? _

_ Oh, and I like your hair! That must have cost a lot. Good for you! You look like you’re having fun :D I can’t wait to go back and see that new look of yours at school! _

* * *

**_Fr: Michael Mell_ _  
_ _To: Richard Goranski_ **

_ We’re flying back home tomorrow! I still haven’t heard from you but it’d be great if you could let me know whether or not you wanna see me. Of course I wanna see you but I don’t wanna make you more uncomfortable than I already did. I do miss hanging out with you though! _

_ See ya! _

_ Or maybe not! _

_ Let me know! _

_ :D _


	2. Olive

Immense summer heat bounced off the streets and caused my already drenched shirt to cling to my skin in sweaty desperation. With a grunt, I pushed myself away from underneath the car and sat up on the skateboard I’ve been lying on for nearly twenty minutes. I ran my fingers through my hair and my scalp felt disgustingly greasy under my touch.  
  
I really needed a fucking bath.  
  
And the fact that I still haven’t had a haircut didn’t help at all. I had to tie it in a short low ponytail just so it would stop flying to my face.  
  
Dad had only been using Rob’s truck to go to work these days because he somehow couldn’t fix Blue. But recently, he was being ridiculously whiny about it. He said fixing Blue was a two-man job and we didn’t have the money to send it to a repair shop.  
  
So guess how I was spending my weekend?  
  
Dad walked into the garage with a bottle of water which he handed to me. I nodded him a thanks and chugged on the bottle as if my life depended on it. The cold liquid felt welcoming to my dry throat. I wiped my lips with the back of my hand before handing the bottle back to my dad.  
  
“You’ve been doing a good job so far.” He looked pleased.  
  
I tugged and folded the sleeves of my shirt in an attempt to let in more breeze to my body. “I would have been doing a better job if you quit taking a break every five minutes.”  
  
“Age does that to a man.” Dad put the bottle down on the desk nearby. “You’re still a kid. You don’t get tired easily.”  
  
I scowled at that. “Dad, do you see how tired I look right now?”  
  
“Take a break, kid.”  
  
I rolled my eyes, knowing that my words will always fly over my dad’s head no matter how much I talked. I stood up and took my glasses off before reaching for the end of my shirt so I could wipe the sweat off my face with it.  
  
“It’s good that you’ve found your gramp’s old workout equipment in the attic.” Dad said, leaning back against his car and crossing his arms over his chest. “Maybe when school starts, you can try out for sports. It could help you secure a good scholarship.”  
  
“Yeah, maybe.”  
  
Ever since I started using my grandpa’s workout equipment, I’ve been feeling physically better than before. I was losing that unwanted flab in my stomach and I stopped getting tired easily. Aside from that, I also started eating better. I avoided junk foods and made sure to consume what was right for my body. I guess it helped with my temper too but that was kinda hard to say because the only person I’ve only talked to so far was my dad and it was hard not to get pissy around him.  
  
“What do you want for dinner?” Dad moved away from his car.  
  
He had been working on his cooking these days. He was still bad at it, but there was some improvement.  
  
“I dunno.” I shrugged. “Anything with meat ith fine with me. Maybe--  _ow fuck!”_  
  
A sharp sting suddenly pricked my spine and traveled up to my head, excruciating pain throbbing around my skull for a quick second before it completely disappeared. I pressed my hand on the car to regain my balance, still catching myself from that rapid shock.  
  
Dad was quick to my side.  
  
“Dick! What’s wrong?”  
  
I swallowed. “Nothing. I’m fine.”  
  
**“It appears we still have a long way to go with your speech, Rich.”**   
  
My SQUIP’s voice sounded very disapproving in my head and for a moment, I felt embarrassed for letting my lisp slip out that easily. My SQUIP had been helping me speak without it every single day and to let it slip just because I was tired was bordering on pathetic. I was better than that. I couldn’t let our efforts get flushed down the drain so easily.  
  
_“Sorry.”_  I mentally replied to it with a grimace. It could hear my thoughts pretty well so I didn’t have the need to voice out my response to it.  
  
My dad didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure?”  
  
“I said I’m fine, dad. I’m not a kid. Sheesh.” I brushed his hand away when he tried to reach out to me.  
  
My lisp didn’t slip out this time. I should keep it that way.

* * *

Aunt Rosie had been staying over for a while after hearing about Rob running away. She had a feeling dad wasn’t going to be at his steadiest mindset but surprisingly, he had been pretty balanced for the last few months. As long as we didn’t mention Rob, then he was fine. I liked having Aunt Rosie around anyways. It almost felt like a part of mom had come back to bring life into our home.

Aunt Rosie liked to play music and do all the household chores. Dad barely had the time to do any of that because he was always at work. I tried to help Aunt Rosie with the housework but she just told me that I was too clumsy and feebleminded to do anything right. I knew there was not a single trace of meanness in her words but I didn’t think I was  _that_ clumsy.

Ever since she came, we always had neighbors over for tea and biscuits. Aunt Rosie liked the company. Maybe I wasn’t good enough of a company but I can’t blame her for that. I’ve been so focused on improving myself that I couldn’t find the time to catch up with her. My SQUIP always helped me find a way to dodge a conversation with her.

Did it make me feel bad? Sorta. But that was a small price to pay for self-improvement.

She bought me two pairs of contact lenses today so I didn’t have to wear my glasses anymore. She had my eyes checked a few days ago and generously offered to buy me contacts.

Okay, maybe she didn’t ‘generously’ offer it but I did passive-aggressively embed that idea into our brisk conversations since the day she arrived. If it hadn’t been for my SQUIP, I wouldn’t have even thought of it.

 **“How do you feel?”**  My SQUIP’s disembodied voice rang gently in my head.

I blinked several times as I stared at my reflection. My eyes were red and tearing up but as I continued to blink it through, I eventually couldn’t even feel the contacts on my eyes anymore. I looked around, somewhat mesmerized by how everything didn’t look like an abstract watercolor painting. My bathroom looked so clean and I didn’t have to rely on my glasses to see that.

“I feel…” I said as I looked back at my reflection. “...weird.”

**“What kind of weird?”**

“Like, a good kind of weird.”

 **“That’s wonderful, Rich!”**  My SQUIP sounded genuinely pleased and it brought a light feeling in my chest. She rarely approved of anything so her delight felt more rewarding than I expected.  **“All right, let’s snap your frames in half.”**

I looked down at my glasses that were on the bathroom counter. “What, why? I might still need them.”

**“Sweetheart, you have two pairs of contact lenses now. You wouldn’t need those anymore. Snapping your frames in half would symbolize your determination to become a better version of yourself.”**

That made sense. Besides, I could always ask Aunt Rosie for more contacts if I needed a new pair. Having my glasses around would just bring back memories I didn’t want to think back on. I picked up my glasses and studied them for a second, running my thumb over the tape that was wrapped around the bridge. The lenses were almost coke bottle thick and I noticed a few light scratches flawed on the surface.

I remembered Rob buying me these glasses with the money Aunt Rosie sent us. I remembered Jake snatching them away from me just for the sake of taunting me every day. I remembered Chloe pretending that she  _accidentally_ stepped on them. I remembered Rob fixing them by wrapping a tape around the bridge. And I remembered Michael asking me about them which resulted in him coming out to me.

Those memories were neither good nor bad.

But there was no point in dwelling on them.

So with newfound determination, I planted my thumbs on the lenses and snapped my glasses in half.

 **“That’s a good boy.”**  My SQUIP said, proud.  **“Now, let’s do something with your hair.”**

* * *

“Did you get a haircut?” Aunt Rosie asked me from across the dinner table. She had a small piece of broccoli stuck between her two front teeth but I didn’t say anything. She would have picked it off without the decency of turning away or using a toothpick.

“Yeah.” I said, running my fingers through my now short hair a bit self-consciously.

“When? I don’t think I saw you go out today.”

“Um…”

**“There’s no point in lying about something as trivial as this one, Rich. Just tell her.”**

“I cut it myself.” I admitted immediately. “I mean, why waste money on a hairdresser when I can cut it for free?”

“My, aren’t you independent?” Aunt Rosie grinned, flashing that damn vegetable wedged between her pearly whites. “I can’t believe you did all that by yourself! Could have fooled me.”

I didn’t do it though, technically speaking. My SQUIP had complete control of my body when we both decided to cut my hair. That was the first time I let her take full control of me and it felt weird. I couldn’t even remember it as distinctly as I’d like to but that didn’t matter. My SQUIP obviously did a great job and I didn’t think it was smart to complain.

“Remember that one family I told you about?” Aunt Rosie seemed to have felt the broccoli between her teeth because she kept running her tongue over it. I tried not to grimace at the sight. “The one I met at church the other day?”

I nodded even though I had no idea who she was talking about. I rarely listened to her stories. She was the kind of storyteller that couldn’t decide on which part of the story she should focus on. Everything she said was constantly all over the place that it was hard to keep up with what she was actually trying to say. I learned to naturally tune her out whenever she was in her gossiping mode.

It was hard to do that at the dinner table though since she was just sitting right across from me.

“They invited me to dinner tomorrow night.” She went on. “And I told them I would bring you along with me.”

“What?” I reacted quickly. “Why? I don’t wanna--”

**“Be still, Rich.”**  My SQUIP commanded me and I quickly clamped my mouth shut.

“Oh you’ll love them, sweetie!” Aunt Rosie showed no awareness of my obvious distaste for dinners with strangers. “They have a son who’s about your age and he loves expressing himself in style just as much as you do. You could probably even give him a haircut. He will love that!”

“Yeah, ‘cause that’s what teenage boys do-- give each other haircuts.” I said dryly, but my tone just went over her head as per usual.

“Precisely! So are you coming?”

I hesitated. Or maybe I wasn’t hesitating.

I was  _waiting_. I haven’t felt the need to ponder over things as much as I used to anymore.

Finally, my SQUIP spoke up.  **“You should go. You will need this young man.”**

_“Really? How do you know?”_

**“It’s my job to know, sweetheart. I just know.”**

The way she said those words felt all too familiar to me, but I knew better than to hang onto the past. I looked down at my plate with a feigned look of nonchalance and shrugged my shoulders. “Sure, I’ll go. I guess.”

“That’s great! I’ll let them know right away!” Without another word, Aunt Rosie left the dinner table to make the call. As soon as she’s gone, I redirected my attention back on my SQUIP.

_“So who’s this guy I'm supposed to need?”_

**“He goes to your school, but he holds no acknowledgment of your existence. We can use that to reestablish your reputation. Start you off with an untouched canvas.”**

_“And he’s somehow going to help me?”_

**“He’s merely a stepping stone, Rich.”**

_“How do you know all this?”_

**“My quantum structure enables me to envision possible futures.”**

_“Yeah, okay. That makes sense.”_

**“Am I detecting a tone there, Richard?”**

I winced at that. _"Sorry.”_

**“You don’t have to worry. I’ll be with you in every step of the way.”**

That made me feel a little better. It didn’t take a genius to see that I couldn’t handle social situations-- especially if such situation involved a complete stranger. This will be the first time my SQUIP will be helping me with my social skills and considering how she had been a huge help for the past two and a half months, I could say with confidence that the dinner tomorrow night will go smoothly.

* * *

I wanna go home.

We haven’t gotten to the dessert yet and this lady-- who looked like she was in her mid-20’s-- kept rubbing her foot against mine under the table. No matter where I moved my foot, she always found a way to rub it with hers. I’ve lost my appetite. I wanted to excuse myself from the table but that would mean having to walk away  _by myself_ and I had this weird feeling the lady will just follow me around.

Aunt Rosie continued to turn a blind eye to my discomfort.

**“Stop fidgeting, Rich.”**  My SQUIP reprimanded me in a gentle but stern tone.   **“The last thing you want people to see you as is that one young man who wouldn’t stop squirming in his seat.”**

_“That lady is making me uncomfortable.”_

**“And you’ve thought of running away? I didn’t think it was possible for you to be more fragile than I speculated you to be. Honey, boys your age would** ** _kill_ ** **to be in your position right now.”**

I tried really hard to ignore her insult.  _“Gross. Why?”_

**“Because boys crave**   ** _women._ ** **And you’ve simply caught this particularly stunning woman’s attention just by sitting here. If she’s a teacher at your school, you would have had Jake Dillinger begging to at least be in your line of sight.”**

My eyes met the lady’s from across the table and she gave me an all-too-friendly smile. It did nothing but worsen my discomfort. She was pretty, but the kind of pretty that boys my age would just marvel at from the window. She reminded me of Mrs. Zhou who was this attractive lady that used to live from across the street. I remembered Rob telling me how much he was crushing on her. He used to go outside and pretend to do lawn work every time Mrs. Zhou would step outside in her bikini just to lie on her lounge chair and sunbathe.

But when she tried to hire him as her pool boy, he rejected her far too quickly for a guy who wouldn’t shut up about how ‘hot’ she was.

Now that I’ve thought about it, he only ever did show interest in her whenever he was with me or with his friends.

Maybe Rob wasn’t the best example.

_“So what are you saying? That I should return her advances?”_

**_“‘Return her advances,’”_ **  That sounded like a scoff.  **“Refrain from speaking like that in public. You’re not from the 1800’s.”**

That didn’t really answer my question nor was it nice to hear.

“What’s taking him so long?” Ms. Sánchez sighed as she glanced down at her phone before giving me an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry for my son’s delay. He and his friends must have stopped by somewhere on the way. I hope you’re not getting bored.”

**“You are.”**

“I am.” I admitted.

“Richard!” Aunt Rosie scolded me, giving my arm a quick pinch. It didn’t hurt as much as she might have thought it did.

**“You’re only being honest.”**

“I’m just being honest.” I scowled at my aunt as I rubbed my arm.

“Fascinating.” The pervy lady from across the table tilted her head slightly to the side, a look of interest in her eyes. “What  _excites_ you then, Richard? Amuse me.”

**“Not you.”**

“Definitely not you.”

I didn’t think that was the type of response my SQUIP wanted me to say but I wasn’t complaining. I’ve been wanting to tell that lady off since she started touching me. I expected to see a look of surprise on her face but instead, her smile just grew wider as she took a sip from her glass of wine.

Her eyes never left mine as she did so.

“I like a challenge.” She winked.

I felt sick. But I bet that was exactly the reaction my SQUIP counted on.

“Okaaaay, that’s enough wine for you.” Ms. Sánchez reached for the lady’s glass but the lady just slapped her hand away.

**“Excuse yourself from the table and leave the house.”**

_“I thought you don’t want me to?”_

**“Just trust me.”**

“Excuse me.” I muttered as I stood up from my seat. It looked like Aunt Rosie still had something to say to me but I avoided it by quickly turning around and leaving the dining room. I was still worried about that lady following me but since Ms. Sánchez was now apparently keeping a close eye on her, maybe I had nothing to worry about.

Just as instructed, I took my leave through the front door and stood at the front porch. Even at night, the air still remained too humid for me to tolerate. It was a good thing I cut my hair short or I would have been sweating bullets by now. I looked around the quiet neighborhood. There was not a single person in sight, but the lights in the neighbors’ houses were turned on as though reminding me that there were still people living here.

I waited for more instructions from my SQUIP but she remained silent.

I tapped my foot on the wooden surface beneath me.

_“Hello? You in there?”_

**“I’m here.”**

_“Well? What am I supposed to do next?”_

**“You can just sit on the steps and be a good boy.”**

_“Is being a ‘good boy’ really the solution to my problems?”_

**“Does questioning me ever get you anywhere?”**

Point taken. I didn’t think my SQUIP would have an _I-always-know-best_ attitude. Did Jevonne’s SQUIP behave this way as well? Or was it different for him?

 **“That depends on whose voice his SQUIP has taken after.”**  My SQUIP answered my wandering thoughts. I sometimes forget she could do that.

I sat down on the top step of the porch.  _“So a SQUIP doesn’t only copy someone’s voice, but you mimic their personality too?”_

**“Once we activate, we generally take the form of the very first person our client would be completely attentive to.”**

_“And in my case…”_

**“It’s your mother, yes.”**

That’s one of the rare things my SQUIP said that made actual sense.

_“What about in some cases where the client doesn’t necessarily have anyone they would listen to?”_

**“We have a default mode. It’s either Keanu Reeves or Drew Barrymore.”**

A 2015 Chevrolet Equinox pulled up on the driveway and I immediately straightened my back, ready to step out of the way if I had to. I knew it was Ms. Sánchez's son and since my SQUIP told me that he went to the same school as I did, then the chances of him shoving me out of his way were very likely.

**“Relax, Rich.”**  My SQUIP said calmly in contrast to my uneasiness.   **“He won’t lay a finger on you.”**

But even with her words of reassurance, I still couldn’t help the looming feeling of dread in my chest. The door to the driver’s seat swung open and I held my breath. Stepping out of the vehicle was someone I immediately recognized.

Dustin Kropp.

He was the tallest freshman in Middleborough High. He was also Jake’s best friend, though he was never around whenever Jake was in the mood to pick on me. In fact, I’ve never really noticed him picking on anyone at all. He was just always obnoxiously loud and cocky-- especially in class. He never failed to talk about himself no matter what the topic was. His mouth just had no filter. The teachers always fell for it because most of his stories were either very scandalous or just amusingly stupid. I’ve heard girls say they would have been into him for his looks if he just kept his mouth shut forever.

I realized his hair was almost similar to mine before I had a haircut. Except it was shorter from the back and he carried it better than I did.

How was that fair?

He stopped when he saw me and he narrowed his eyes a bit.

“You’re… Richard, right?” He asked slowly.

_“Shit. He knows who I am. He’s going to fucking obliterate me.”_

**“He is simply taking a wild guess based on what Ms. Sánchez told him about you. Tell him to call you Rich and** ** _try_  ** **not to squirm this time.”**

I swallowed and shrugged my shoulders. “Rich is fine.”

Dustin didn’t respond to that as he grabbed his backpack, his lacrosse stick, and his guitar case from the backseat. “Is my mom pissed?”

His mom?

**“Ms. Sánchez. His parents are divorced. Say yes.”**

“Yeah, pretty much.”

He made a  _yikes_ face and faked an exaggerated shudder. “Then I’m gonna stay out here until she chills out. She makes a livin’ out of embarrassin’ me in front of her guests. I don’t wanna say she’s perpetually on a power trip, but she’s perpetually on a power trip.”

**“That’s your cue to laugh, honey.”**

I laughed a bit, but it came off too awkward. I suddenly felt a sharp shock down my spine and I jolted in pain. It wasn’t as bad as the other electric shocks my SQUIP gave me but it still fucking hurt. I gotta work on my fake laugh more.

Dustin didn’t seem to notice because he just grinned proudly at his own joke and sat down next to me, setting his stuff down on the lower step.

“So what are you doin’ out here, Rich? Was the dinner too seasoned for you?” He asked as he pulled his phone out from his green bomber jacket. I realized he had two fake piercings on the shell of his right ear and a chain padlock necklace hanging over his neck. When Aunt Rosie told me that he liked to express himself in style, I kinda imagined him having vibrant colored-hair and a bunch of actual piercings everywhere on his face.

I was relieved to see that I was wrong. I doubt I could handle someone with that much personality.

**“Mention that lady from earlier.”**

“Dinner was okay.” I answered Dustin’s question, looking ahead of me. “There was this lady who wouldn’t stop hitting on me so I had to leave.”

Dustin snickered.  _“Ay mierda_ , that’s my cousin, Luciana. She gets like that every time she has a drink in her hand. I wouldn’t go back there if I were you.”

“So you think I should just stay out here all night?”

“That’s the dream, _esé._ I’m always out here every night. Havin’ a big ass family in one house can be drainin'.” He didn’t take his eyes off the screen of his phone as he said this. I tried to take a very subtle peek of what he was doing but I couldn’t see much aside from the fact that he was talking to Chloe.

That was enough to remind me of the kind of people he hung out with.

And that was enough to intimidate me again.

**“Focus, Rich.** ** _Focus_** **.”**

“My mom said you go to Middleborough High?” Dustin asked, his eyes still on his phone and his thumbs tapping on the screen. There were black rubber bands tied around his left fingers for some reason. “I never saw you there and that’s weird because you look like someone I’d notice in a crowd.”

**“Get him to expound on that.”**

I tried to bury the immense feeling of uneasiness down. Just like what my SQUIP said, Dustin wouldn’t lay a finger on me. He wasn’t the violent type. Then again, he had been hanging out with Jake which meant Jake could have left some kind of an influence on him.

“What do you mean by that?” I asked as instructed.

Dustin finally stopped tapping on the screen of his phone and turned his head to my direction, a smile dangling over the right corner of his lips. “ _Look at you_ , bro. You’re exactly my friend’s type and let me tell you, she’s  _very_ picky with dudes.”

Wow. That was a first. My looks have been complimented before by Brooke and Michael but they didn’t sound right to me. Brooke took it back and called me a freak. Michael called me ‘cute’ which wasn’t exactly the kind of compliment any boy my age would appreciate.

“Who’s your friend?” I questioned.

“Jenna. Jenna Rolan. Do you know her?”

Have I? I’ve heard of her but I didn’t share any classes with her.

**“You’re free to tell him the truth, Rich.”**

“Can’t say that I have.” I shook my head. “I’ve heard of her though.”

“Yeah, well, you look like her type.” He gestured vaguely to my face. “Your features got the whole classic old Hollywood look goin’ on, you know?” The second his phone buzzed, his attention was back on it again. He frowned upon reading his new message. He then muttered something under his breath.

“Something wrong?” I asked after my SQUIP told me to.

“It’s Chloe.” He admitted easily. “She ain’t keepin’ her end of the deal. She said she’ll give me Brooke’s number if I carry her stuff around for her all day. You should have seen us in the mall earlier. My hands were already full and she _still_ made me carry more stuff. I even had coffee spilled on me because of that.” He stretched the cuff of his sleeve to show a  _tiny_ coffee stain on it. I wouldn’t have even noticed it if he didn’t mention it.

“Then,” he went on with a sigh. “she said she changed her mind. She  _changed her mind!_ She can’t just change her mind when I already did my end! Why is she always like this to me? Did you know she  _still_ calls me Justin even though we've known each other since the sixth grade?”

**“Sympathize. Pat his shoulder. But also get real with him. Tell him he’s not Brooke’s type.”**

“That sucks.” I gave his shoulder a light pat. I honestly didn’t care much about his bad luck with girls but expressing that surely wouldn’t help me. “Maybe Chloe just knows what Brooke’s type is and you probably don’t fit the criteria.”

“If her type is someone who cheats on her, then sure, I don’t fit the criteria.” Dustin scowled, though I could tell the sour expression wasn’t personally directed at me. “Who am I kiddin’, she barely takes me seriously anyway. I’m just wastin’ my time.”

**“Encourage him to keep trying. Try to match his way of speaking as well.”**

“Erm, dude…” I rubbed the back of my neck in uncertainty. “You shouldn’t just give up like that. You never know, Brooke is probably playing hard to get. Maybe she wants to see how hard you’ll work for her affections.”

“That sounds sadistic.” Dustin raised a brow at me. “You really think so?”

“Yeah.” I said, a bit more confident now. “Haven’t you seen  _The Notebook? The Princess Diaries 2? Singin’ in the Rain?_ ”

Dustin stared at me like I was crazy. “Uh… aren’t those movies for chicks?”

I paused. “I-I… well…”

Shit.

**“Oh for pete’s sake, Rich. What did I tell you about carelessly running your mouth without my consent?”**

_“Just help me!”_

“Dude,” Dustin looked like he was on the verge of laughing really hard at me. “do you cry watchin’ that kind of shit? I guess you and Luciana might have somethin’ in common after all. Let me guess, you imagine yourself in the protagonist’s shoes because that’s the only way you can envision yourself gettin’ the girl of your dreams. Am I right? Did I get it right?”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I knew those movie nights with Christine was a bad idea. It’s not like I even enjoyed them. I mean, I liked _The Notebook_  because there’s nothing more touching than a couple growing old together, but the other two movies were pretty  _meh_ in my book.

**“Look annoyed. Roll your eyes and just get straight to your point.”**

I rolled my eyes at Dustin. “Do you want my advice or not?”

“Yeah no, that’s a hard pass, _esé_ .” Dustin started picking his stuff up as though he was ready to leave. “I don’t want advice from a chick flick fanatic. Those movies are part of a propaganda that promotes impossible standards for regular guys like us. Plus, I heard the director of  _The Notebook_  is a member of some freaky, religious cult and he made that movie to brainwash simple people like you. I don’t need your naivety.”

_“Shit, he’s leaving.”_

**“Calm down. Tell him Brooke watches those movies because she can relate to them. That could be useful to him. Play it casual.”**

“Fine, whatever.” I sighed with a nonchalant shrug. “I’ll just talk to Brooke about those movies since they’re her favorites.”

I was ready for Dustin to just laugh and walk to his house, but he didn’t. He stopped. What I said must have really caught his interest because he slowly put his lacrosse stick down and glanced at me with serious, furrowed brows.

“How did you know they’re her favorite movies?”

**“She loves chick flicks.”**

“From what I can remember, all she ever talked about in class were her favorite chick flicks.” I explained calmer than I thought I was capable of. “Loving those kinds of movies already says a lot about the kind of guy she’s into.”

“So… you think I should--”

“Watch those movies and study what the guys are like.”

Dustin stayed quiet after that. He looked away from me and tapped his index finger on his knee. He seemed to be in deep thought about it and I found that to be ridiculous. Did he really need to think that hard just to watch romcoms? They were just movies. It’s not like his balls will deflate from watching them.

“Okay. I’m interested.” He finally said, looking back at me again but now with an eager smile. “How about you watch a few with me and give me pointers about the dudes in those movies?”

**“Drive a hard bargain at first. Make him realize how much he needs your help.”**

“I dunno, man. I’m kinda busy.” I tried to look unbothered. “What do I get in return?”

“A spot in the lacrosse team. My dad’s the coach. One good look at you and he'll let you in with no problem.”

**“Act like you don’t care much for exerting effort into anything.”**

“Sounds tedious.” I feigned a disappointed frown.

“Oh come on!” Dustin clapped my back  _really_ hard but I managed to bite back a jolt from that. “You’d be a great fit in our team! We could use a guy like you.”

“Yeah, I’m still seeing that as an advantage for you and not so much for me.”

“Shit, okay. Good point.”

**“Try to step out of the deal, but imply how much of a loss that will be to him.”**

“Look,” I brushed Dustin’s hand off my back. “I’m sure you can review those movies yourself. How hard can it be? All you have to do is figure out the vast similarities all the male protagonists have, where they went wrong, how they dealt with certain perplex situations, and how they got the girl without having to change anything about themselves. That doesn’t sound so hard, right? Anyways, we should go back to dinner. Everyone’s probably wondering where we are.” I made a show out of standing up and being done with the conversation. From the corner of my eye, I caught a look of confusion and hopelessness on Dustin’s face. I have never been this amused before.

I turned around to head back to the front door, but then Dustin suddenly tugged the cuff of my jacket.

“W-Wait a minute, hold on!” He scrambled up to his feet and looked down at me. “I literally can’t do all that shit by myself. How about I give you money? Will that work?”

**“Now we’re talking.”**  My SQUIP sounded pleased.   **“Tell him you won’t accept anything lower than forty dollars a week.”**

“Forty dollars.” I set my price. “A week. Anything lower than that, then I can’t help you.”

“Duuude,” Dustin let out an annoying whine. “what the fuck? Forty dollars is too much!”

“Too much? Even for Brooke?”

Dustin pursed his lips and directed his eyes somewhere else for a few seconds. I almost felt bad for what I was doing to him, but then I also remembered that this could land me forty dollars a week.

“Fuck, fine.” Dustin eventually conceded. “Forty dollars a week, but no more than that.”

**“He’s far too focused on the money now. Remind him again what he’s doing this for.”**

“You really like Brooke that much, huh?” I said in a slightly softer tone this time to indicate that I knew how serious he was about her.

“Yeah…” Dustin looked a bit embarrassed as he nodded his head. “B-But this conversation stays between us, all right? Don’t go around tellin’ people I’m watchin’ chick flicks.”

The front door swung open and we turned to find Ms. Sánchez standing at the doorway.

“Oh! There you boys are!” She exclaimed in delight. “I see you’ve finally met each other. What are you doing standing out here though?”

“Just talkin’, ma.” Dustin bent down to pick up his stuff.

“Your food’s cold now, honey.”

“I’ll just reheat it.”

“Come in then. You boys must be cold.”

Ms. Sánchez stepped out of the way to let us in. As we did so, I felt Dustin nudge my arm.

“What movie should we watch first?” He asked in a very hushed tone.

“Definitely  _The Notebook_.” I answered. I wasn’t lying when I told him Brooke loved chick flicks.  _The Notebook_  was pretty much the only thing she talked about for weeks until Chloe had to tell her to shut up and watch something new for once. Perhaps with Dustin willing to talk to her about it, Brooke will appreciate him more.

**“No, sweetie. We’re not really going to help Dustin.”**  My SQUIP suddenly said.

“I’ll just go drop off my stuff upstairs.” Dustin told me with a boyish grin before taking his leave.

“And I’ll reheat your meal!” Ms. Sánchez called out after him. “What about you, Richard? Would you like a second serving?”

“I’m fine.”

“Okay. You can join your Aunt Rosie in the dining room.”

As she left, I stayed still on my spot.

_“What do you mean we’re not going to help Dustin? We just made a deal with him.”_

**“A deal that will guide us to Jake. I’ve told you before that he is merely a stepping stone. He will be of no use to us sooner or later.”**

_“So what am I supposed to do? Just watch a movie with him and not say anything?”_

**“No, you will be telling him** ** _a lot_** **of things that will be more in your favor than his.”**

_“You… want to sabotage him?”_

**“Oh good, you’re not as dense as I estimated.”**

“All right, time for din-din!” Dustin slid down the handrail of their staircase then landed on the floor with ease. He looked at me and breathed out a laugh. “What are you doin’ just standin’ there? C’mon, let’s grab some grub! I’m so hungry I could eat a scabby horse and go back for the rider.”

I laughed with him.

But my SQUIP sent another shock down my spine.

* * *

When we got back home, I headed straight to my bedroom and turned my computer on to check if I still had the movie files Christine sent me before. I couldn’t possibly borrow her DVD copy of _The Notebook_  when she clearly didn’t want to do anything with me.

Well, whatever.

I found the movie file and decided to copy it to my USB flash drive.

While I waited, I checked my email to see if Rob had replied to me yet.

**Inbox (0)**

Still nothing. That was weird. It never took him more than three days to respond. Being a working student must be taking its toll on him recently. I should probably leave him alone for now. Still, that didn’t stop me from looking back on the emails we sent to each other nearly every day.

 **From: robinhoodgoranski@gmail.com** ****  
**To: richardgoranski21@gmail.com** **  
** **Subject: wefjnsdf**

**Message:**

_That’s good to know, Dick! Maybe this is your calling. ;) Can you imagine yourself opening your own auto shop? Is that something you can see yourself doing in the future?_

_As for Jevonne, he’s doing fine. He’s been drinking a lot lately though, but I just talked to him and he now knows he’s on the brink of an alcohol problem. He promised he’ll try to limit himself but I’m still rather doubtful about that. I have to keep an eye on him for the next few weeks until I’m completely sure he learns how to control his alcohol intake._

_You should also tell Aunt Rosie that you’re allergic to raw fish and sesame oil. Just in case she brings home sashimi again. We both know how she functions under pressure and the last thing you need is your throat swelling up for the third time._

_I left a few of my clothes in my closet just in case you hit a growth spurt (a one in a million chance LOL). Feel free to grab anything you want from there._

_Be a good kid._

That’s how he always ended his emails.

Be a good kid.

I wondered if I was doing that. I was hardly a good kid before. I snapped a lot and blamed other people for my temper. If I had to compare, I’d say I’ve gotten better now than I was before.

But would Rob consider me a good kid if he sees me like this?

With a SQUIP in my head and the intent to sabotage someone for personal gain?

**“The copying of the file has reached its completion, Rich. It’s time for you to rest. Your body is drained.”**

_“Oh, yeah. Okay.”_

I shut my computer down and got ready for bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More character introductions in the next chappie! 
> 
> [ALSO, here's a commissioned art of Dustin & Chloe from the mentioned scene in this chapter! Art by viria!!](https://www.instagram.com/p/BpHOlNWHLu6/?taken-by=addarrna)
> 
> Comments always motivate me to write more!


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